Tiz Miz Sue pushed away a small but quality field for a confident win in the $150,000 Azeri Stakes on Saturday at Oaklawn Park as favorite Absinthe Minded faded late and finished out of the money.
''All I had to do was bide my time and she just exploded,'' jockey Joe Rocco Jr. said.
Tiz Miz Sue finished the 1 1-16-mile Grade III race in 1.43.2 on a fast track. The race is a prep for the $500,000 Grade I Apple Blossom on April 13.
She's All In, with Luis Quinonez aboard, set the early pace and dueled with Absinthe Minded. She's All In finished second and Joyful Victory showed in the race for older females.
Tiz Miz Sue trainer Steve Hobby said he got the performance he'd been waiting for.
''It was overdue for that girl. I was confident the whole trip,'' he said. ''I like that she tucked behind the horses.''
Hobby said Tiz Miz Sue, owned by Cresran LLC, may run the Apple Blossom.
Terry Thompson, who rode Absinthe Minded to what was ultimately a sluggish finish said the horse got off to a good start.
''She's been running those fractions so I was feeling pretty confident. When I called on her she just didn't have the punch,'' Thompson said.
Tiz Miz Sue paid $19.60, $6 and $3.20 as winner in the five-horse field. She's All In paid $9:20 and $3.40. Joyful Victory paid $2.40.
Also running was fifth finisher Ravi's Song.
